EaP CSF to be represented in the Steering Committee of the EU-Eastern Partnership Culture and Creativity Programme

Six EaP CSF members will represent the Forum in the Steering Committee of the EU-Eastern Partnership Culture and Creativity Programme.EaP CSF will be represented in the Steering Committee of the EU-Eastern Partnership Culture and Creativity Programme.

The Programme supports the cultural and creative sectorsĺ contribution to sustainable humanitarian, social and economic development in the EaP countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine and itáis funded by the European Union, and implemented by a consortium led by the British Council, in partnership with the Soros Foundation Moldova, the National Centre for Culture of Poland and the Goethe-Institut. The Programme is focused on four main areas: research and the development of evidence-gathering mechanisms; capacity-building; raising awareness of the cultural and creative sectors potential role in sustainable social and economic development; providing opportunities for international cultural cooperation.

The European Union announced a new package of EUR 92.5 million funding for Eastern Partnership members intended to support environment initiatives in Belarus, employment and business development in rural areas of Azerbaijan and regional cooperation in the Eastern Partnership.

Theáregional cooperation support package worth EUR 64.5 million aims at boosting regional cooperation in Eastern Partnership in the following fields:

Unprecedented Number of Protesters Take to the Streets in Moldovan Anti-corruption Demonstration

On 6 September, a massiveáprotestábrought tens of thousands of people from all over Moldova to the central square in Chisinau demanding the resignation of Moldovan president Nicolae Timofti and calling for early elections to be held in March. Protesters also demandádirect election of the president, who is now elected by a 2/3 majority in the parliament,áas well as the dismissal of a number of senior officials at the attorney generalĺs office and the National Bank of Moldova. Judicial reform, greater media freedom and the cancellation of recent sharp increase of electricity and gas rates were mentioned among other demands.

Civil Society to Discuss Implementation Progress One Year after Association Agreements Signed

Oná23-25 September the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) will gather in Tbilisi, Georgia overá60 representatives of civil society, EaP governments and EU institutions to discuss the progress and share experience ináimplementing Association Agreements (AAs) and creating Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areaá(DCFTA). The bilateral agreements between EU and three Eastern Partners (Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) were signed in June 2014 with a long-term perspective of closer political association and economic integration.

Successful implementation of the AAs/DCFTAs in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine has been identified as akey success factor of the Eastern Partnership initiative. A great number of the EaP CSF activities focus on different aspects of monitoring the implementation of these agreements.

Working Group 5 Annual Meeting Report

The EaP CSF Working Group 5 on social and labour policies and social dialogue convened for its meeting in Vilnius on 18 June. Some 12 participants from trade unions, think tanks, NGOs from the EaP countries and EU and, as well as the officials from the Lithuanian ministry of Social Affairs and Labour took part in the meeting. The meeting was chaired by Daiva Kvedaraite (Lithuanian Trade Union Solidarumas). In her opening speech,áKristina Krupavi?ien? (President of Lithuanian Trade Union Solidarumas) presented Lithuanian experience in developing the new social model.